honeycutt



(No Model.)

J. T. HONBYOUTT.

SHOE FASTENING.

No. 351,053. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EFTCE.

J OH T. HONEYCUTT, OF NEYV BRUNS\VICK, NElV. JERSEY.

SHOE-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,053, dated October 19, 1886.

Application filed August 2,1886. Serial No. 209,745. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN T. HONEYOUTT, of New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Shoe-Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to apply a constant and yielding tension to the lace of a shoe, so as to keep the same sufficiently tight for properly holding the shoe in place, and for allowing the string to yield to unusual tension, so as to ease the foot and to lessen theliability of the string breaking.

I make use of an elastic attachment for the shoe-string near the upper edge of the shoe, over which a loop in the lace or at the end of the lace or string is passed, so as to avoid the necessity of tying the shoe-string.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents my fastening with the elastic strap all around the top of the shoe, and hooks for the string or lace. Fig. 2 is a similar View with a strap on one side of the shoe only. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar to Figs. 1 and 2, except in the manner of connecting the shoelace, and there are two separate elastic straps shown in Fig. 8, instead of one strap all around the top of the shoe, as in Fig. 1.

The elastic Strap a is provided with a button or hook, 1), near one end, and said strap is attached at the other end to the shoe, near the top thereof; or the elastic strap may pass around the "top of the shoe and have buttons or hooks b b at the ends, as seen in Fig. 1; or there may be two separate straps and buttons, as in Fig. 3. The lace-holes (Z and the buttons or hooks 6 may be of any desired or ordinary character.

It is usually preferable to lace the shoe as seen in Fig. l or 2, the loose ends of the lace or string 0 being tied together at i, at the front end of the opening in the shoe, so that a loop is provided in the middle of the lace, and the lacing can be performed in the ordinary manner by passing the lace across from opposite sides and hooking the same behind the buttonhooks c as the parts of the shoe are drawn together, and then the elastic a is stretched and the button or hook I) passed through the loop of the lace, and the contraction of the elastic applies the proper tension to the lace. If there are two elastics, or an elastic passing all around the upper part of the shoe, then the loop of lace 0 extends over the two buttons or hooks, as seen in Fig. 1. If there is but one elastic, then a button at 0 should be provided for the loop of the shoe lace to pass around, as seen in Fig. 2.

\Vhere a single lace is used, there may be a ring or loop, 7;, in the end of the lace to button over the hook orbutton b on the elastic, as seen in Fig. 4, orwhere there are two loose ends to the string or lace each mayhave aring or loop, as seen in Fig. 3.

Under all circumstances an elastic tension is applied to the string or lace to keep the shoe-lace in a proper condition, and to prevent the lace becoming loose or untied, and to lesson the strain and wear on. the lace."

I claim as my invention The combinatioinwith the shoe and the buttons or hooks attached to the same, and the lace for drawing the parts together, of an clastie at the upper part of the shoe, and a hook or attachment upon the free end of such elastic for receiving and tightening the lace, sul) stantiall y as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed by me this 24th day of July, 1886.

J. T. HONEYOUTT.

lVit n esses:

GEO. T. PIXCKNEY, XVALLACE L. SERnnLL. 

